The papaw : a fruit for the tropics and sub-tropics

TOE fruit of the papaw (Carica papaya) has a unique flavour and is a welcome addition to any diet. In the tropics and sub-tropics the papaw is quite easy to grow and is adapted to a wide range of soils and climate

Controll of eelworm diseases of bananas in Western Australia : a review

During the 1950\u27s, a decline in bananas in plantations in Carnarvon, caused by heavy infestations of eelworms, prompted investigations into eelworm control. The work was started in 1955. The results and recommendations based on experiments have been published in Department of Agriculture Bulletin 3532

Naive Bayesian prediction of bleeding after heart by-pass surgery

© 2001 ARCME, Univ of WA. Excessive post-operative bleeding occurs in approximately one out of eight patients who undergo heart bypass surgery. Earlier workers have identified laboratory parameters that are correlated with post-operative blood loss but these correlations are not strong enough to be clinically useful. This paper describes a predictor that combines several of these parameters using Naive Bayesian Reasoning, to produce a clinically useful predictor of blood loss

Alterations to the fibrinolytic enzyme system in patients with non-small cell lung carcinoma

Although fibrinolysis has been implicated in the progression and metastasis of lung cancer, no detailed study has been carried out on components measured in samples from both plasma and tumour. This study thus provides the first comprehensive data obtained from 166 patients diagnosed with non-small cell lung carcinoma. Plasma samples were obtained at diagnosis and tumour samples during surgical resection. Appropriate control samples were obtained from normal subjects and patients with chronic obstructive airways disease (plasma) and from organ donors (normal lung tissue). Assays were performed on plasma and tissue extracts for tissue plasminogen activator, urokinase-like activator and plasminogen activator inhibitor (activity and antigen in all cases), together with plasmin-antiplasmin complex, soluble fibrin, D-dimer and thrombin-antithrombin complex. Levels of D-dimer, thrombin-antithrombin complex and plasmin-antiplasmin complex were all significantly higher in plasma from patients, whereas urokinase-like activator activity was reduced. Only two parameters were significantly altered in both the core and periphery of tumour tissue: levels of D-dimer were increased and tissue-type plasminogen activator activity was reduced. Interestingly, significant differences in levels of other fibrinolytic parameters were detected in the core and periphery of tumours. Significant activation of fibrinolysis was indicated in patients, although the origin of this could not be related consistently to changes in levels of plasminogen activator and inhibitor

Relationship of Platelet-Aggregation to Bleeding After Cardiopulmonary Bypass

Excessive bleeding after cardiopulmonary bypass operations is a persistent problem. This study assessed the influence of platelet function on blood loss for 134 patients undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass. Platelet function was measured by platelet aggregation in platelet-rich plasma and whole blood using collagen as the agonist. Adenosine triphosphate release was assessed concurrently. Measurements were made 1 day before operation and 1 hour after the cessation of cardiopulmonary bypass. Three important findings were made. First, statistically significant correlations were shown between preoperative and postoperative platelet aggregation and blood drainage for the first 3 hours postoperatively. Second, correlations were greatest when preoperative measurement was performed on whole blood and postoperative measurement was performed on platelet-rich plasma. Third, patients with reduced postoperative platelet aggregation in platelet-rich plasma had significantly greater transfusion requirements in the first 24 hours postoperatively. In defining the 16 patients who bled excessively among the 134 patients studied, the preoperative aggregation in whole blood had a sensitivity of 62%, specificity of 75%, positive predictive value of 26%, and negative predictive value of 94%. The postoperative aggregation in platelet-rich plasma had a sensitivity of 86%, specificity of 69%, positive predictive value of 28%, and negative predictive value of 97%. These results indicate that preoperative and postoperative measurement of platelet aggregation may provide a rationale for the prophylaxis or treatment of patients to reduce blood loss after cardiopulmonary bypass

Moderate alcohol consumption is associated with atrial electrical and structural changes: insights from high-density left atrial electroanatomic mapping

Abstract not availableAleksandr Voskoboinik, Geoffrey Wong, Geoff Lee, Chrishan Nalliah, Joshua Hawson, Sandeep Prabhu, Hariharan Sugumar, Liang-Han Ling, Alex McLellan, Joseph Morton, Jonathan M. Kalman, Peter M. Kistle

Impact of Early Versus Delayed Atrial Fibrillation Catheter Ablation on Atrial Arrhythmia Recurrences

Online publish-ahead-of-print 16 April 2023Background: Catheter ablation is an effective strategy in atrial fibrillation (AF). However, its timing in the course of management remains unclear. The aim of this study was to determine if an early vs. delayed AF ablation strategy is associated with differences in arrhythmia outcomes during 12-month follow-up. Methods and results: One hundred patients with symptomatic AF referred to a tertiary centre for management were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to either an early ablation strategy (within 1 month of recruitment) or a delayed ablation strategy (optimized medical therapy followed by catheter ablation at 12 months post recruitment). The primary endpoint was atrial arrhythmia free survival at 12 months post-ablation. Secondary outcomes included: (i) AF burden, (ii) AF burden by AF phenotype, and (iii) antiarrhythmic drug (AAD) use at 12 months. Overall, 89 patients completed the study protocol (Early vs. Delayed: 48 vs. 41). Mean age was 59 ± 12.9 years (29% women). Pulmonary vein isolation was achieved in 100% of patients. At 12 months, 56.3% of patients in the early ablation group were free from recurrent arrhythmia, compared with 58.6% in the delayed ablation group (HR 1.12, 95% CI 0.59–2.13, P = 0.7). All secondary outcomes showed no significant difference including median AF burden (Early vs. Delayed: 0% [IQR 3.2] vs. 0% [5], P = 0.66), median AF burden amongst paroxysmal AF patients (0% [IQR 1.1] vs. 0% [4.5], P = 0.78), or persistent AF patients (0% [IQR 22.8] vs. 0% [5.6], P = 0.45) or AAD use (33% vs. 37%, P = 0.8). Conclusion: Compared with an early ablation strategy, delaying AF ablation by 12 months for AAD management did not result in reduced ablation efficacy.Jonathan M. Kalman, Ahmed M. Al-Kaisey, Ramanathan Parameswaran, Joshua Hawson, Robert D. Anderson, Michael Lim, David Chieng, Stephen A. Joseph, Alex McLellan, Joseph B. Morton, Paul B. Sparks, Geoffrey Lee, Prashanthan Sanders, and Peter M. Kistle

Sex specific outcomes following catheter ablation in persistent AF

Available online 8 February 2024. OnlinePublBACKGROUND Sex-specific outcomes after catheter ablation (CA) for atrial fibrillation (AF) have reported conflicting findings. OBJECTIVE We examined the impact of female sex on outcomes in patients with persistent AF (PsAF) from the Catheter Ablation for Persistent Atrial Fibrillation: A Multicentre Randomized Trial of Pulmonary Vein Isolation vs PVI with Posterior Left Atrial Wall Isolation (CAPLA) randomized trial. METHODS A total of 338 patients with PsAF were randomized to pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) or PVI with posterior wall isolation (PWI). The primary outcome was arrhythmia recurrence at 12 months. Clinical and electroanatomical characteristics, arrhythmia recurrence, and quality of life were compared between women and men. RESULTS Seventy-ninewomen (23.4%; PVI 37; PVI1PWI 42) and 259 men (76.6%; PVI 131; PVI1PWI 128) underwent AF ablation. Womenwere older {median age 70.4 (interquartile range [IQR] 64.8–74.6) years vs 64.0 (IQR 56.7–69.7) years; P < .001} and had more advanced left atrial electroanatomical remodeling. At 12 months, arrhythmia-free survival was lower in women (44.3% vs 56.8% in men; hazard ratio 1.44; 95% confidence interval 1.02–2.04; log-rank, P 5 .036). PWI did not improve arrhythmia-free survival at 12 months (hazard ratio 1.02; 95% confidence interval 0.74–1.40; log-rank, P 5 .711). The median AF burden was 0% in both groups (women: IQR 0.0%–2.2% vs men: IQR 0.0%–2.8%; P 5 .804). Health care utilization was comparable between women (36.7%) and men (30.1%) (P 5 .241); however, women were more likely to undergo a repeat procedure (17.7% vs 6.9%; P 5 .007). Women reported more severe baseline anxiety (average Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale [HADS] anxiety score 7.5 6 4.9 vs 6.3 6 4.3 in men; P 5 .035) and AF-related symptoms (baseline Atrial Fibrillation Effect on Quality-of-Life Questionnaire [AFEQT] score 46.7 6 20.7 vs 55.96 23.0 inmen; P5 .002), with comparable improvements in psychological symptoms (change in HADS anxiety score 23.864.6 vs23.064.5; P5.152 (change inHADS depression score22.965.0 vs22.664.0; P5.542) and greater improvement in AFEQT score compared with men at 12 months (change in AFEQT score 145.9 6 23.1 vs 139.2 6 24.8; P 5 .048). CONCLUSION Women undergoing CA for PsAF report more significant symptoms and poorer quality of life at baseline than men. Despite higher arrhythmia recurrence and repeat procedures in women, the AF burden was comparably low, resulting in significant improvements in quality of life and psychological well-being after CA in both sexes.Louise Segan, David Chieng, Rose Crowley, Jeremy William, Hariharan Sugumar, Liang-Han Ling, Joshua Hawson, Sandeep Prabhu, Aleksandr Voskoboinik, M Joseph B. Morton, Geoffrey Lee, Laurence D. Sterns, Matthew Ginks, Prashanthan Sanders, Jonathan M. Kalman, Peter M. Kistle

ENGAGEMENT IN ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOUR PLANE

Örgütlere rekabet üstünlüğü sağlayan birincil ve hayati unsur insandır. Psikolojik ve sosyal bir varlık olan insanın örgüt için üretken hale getirilmesinde örgütsel davranış disiplinine önemli görevler düşmektedir. Örgütsel davranışın ilgilendiği konulardan biri olan adanmışlık, örgüt başarısında etkili bir durumdur. Adanmışlık durumu, birey ve örgüt yapısı çerçevesinde birçok unsurla etkileşim göstermektedir. Tutumlar, davranışlar ve oluşan örgüt kültürü çalışanların adanmışlık seviyesini etkileyen unsurlardandır. Adanmışlık konusununun teorik bir yaklaşımla ortaya konulmaya çalışıldığı bu araştırmada farklı adanmışlık unsurları ve boyutları, adanmışlık durumları, adanmışlığın önemi, adanmışlığı ortaya çıkaran ve arttıran unsurlar irdelenip adanmışlığın tükenmişlikle ilişkisi ortaya konulmaya çalışılmıştır.The major and vital factor providing competitive advantage to the organizations is person. Organizational behavior discipline plays a crucial role in rendering a person that is both psychological and social entity to an efficient being in the organization. Commitment which is one of the issues examined by organizational behavior is an effective condition in the way of reaching to organizational success. The condition of commitment is related to several factors within the frame of individual and organizational structure. Attitudes, behaviors and developing organizational culture affect the commitment degree of workers. In this research, it is aimed to establish a frame on the relation between commitment and burn-out by examining particular commitment factors and dimensions, commitment conditions, the importance of commitment and the factors revealing and increasing the commitmen